Have you ever seen an end-cap come off a bat before?

[Powerball Tournaments]

Here's a question for the legions of experienced coaches on here. Have you ever seen an end-cap come off a bat during play before? If so, how was the situation handled? Here's my experience:

2012 Little League All Stars, perennially strong league who in 2011 had average-size 9U players jacking 200'+ HRs regularly during all-stars. Flash forward to 2012 All Stars season and my son's team meets them in the district championship game. One boy jacks a line drive rocket HR over CF (about 200'). Next kid who comes up take a cut with a bat and fouls it off but the bat's end-cap falls off. The umpire picks up the bat end cap and hands it to the coach who is quickly out of the dugout to help out and the bat disappears into the dugout never to be seen again. Our coach was "above" questioning the legitimacy of the bat. I know it's LL and all, but what are your thoughts. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of baseball games and have never see a bat end-cap come off before. This is a league as well that was in the news for cheating in 2012, so I put nothing past them.

Your thoughts?

[omg]

It happens a lot. I doubt someone was cheating but you never know.

[Swing2Hit]

First question would be was it composite barrel bat?

I too would like to assume that everyone else is above board when it comes to bat altering but to believe that would be naive. Bat rolling and shaving is becoming common place. There are bat distributers where you can buy a bat in the wrapper and for another $30, they will roll it for you.

End caps will come off and it does happen quite a bit. When that happens the opposing coach and umpire should be able to look at it to make sure it has not had a lathe in it to decrease the barrel's wall thickness increasing the trampoline effect.

It is again a sad state when parents want instant success for their child rather than allowing them to achieve things through hard work.

[Jake Patterson]

I've seen it happen with the older bats...

[AdamInNY]

What's the problem with a rolled bat? Assuming it's composite and you're rolling it to speed up the break in period it should perform the same as if you broke it in by hitting a few hundred baseballs.

[HYP]

We had it happen a lot with the Red CF3 (?) but that was high school with bigger kids. We all have heard of shaving the bat and if the coach rushed out of the dugout and hustled that bat off the field, you just never know.

[Swing2Hit]

What's the problem with a rolled bat? Assuming it's composite and you're rolling it to speed up the break in period it should perform the same as if you broke it in by hitting a few hundred baseballs.

Then hit a few hundred baseballs. I did not see antyhing on the Easton, Demarini, or Rawlings website that suggested this method for breaking in a bat. If it is an accepted and legal method, they would be the first to suggest using a reputable company to roll their bat. Heck, if it was the right thing to do, they would offer this service to the purchaser when they bought the bat or they would sell the bat rolling machines themselves.

[AdamInNY]

Then hit a few hundred baseballs. I did not see antyhing on the Easton, Demarini, or Rawlings website that suggested this method for breaking in a bat. If it is an accepted and legal method, they would be the first to suggest using a reputable company to roll their bat. Heck, if it was the right thing to do, they would offer this service to the purchaser when they bought the bat or they would sell the bat rolling machines themselves.

Is there any rule that says this isn't legal? My comment isn't meant to be flippant. When my son broke his bat mid season last year and we move to a regular composite bat (Easton S1). It would have certainly been easier and more efficient to have gone the bat rolling method.

Adam

[Swing2Hit]

Rolling a bat is considered an alteration. Easton calls it an alteration and will deny warranty if bat is found to be rolled. It is just an unnatural way to "break in" a bat. The companies are trying to design bats that don't break in or loosen up so much that the BPF exceeds what they are initially rated for.

As for the rule number in the book I don't know. There is one for bat alterations.

[skipper5]

average-size 9U players jacking 200'+ HRs regularly during all-stars.

Any time an average-sized 9U hits a ball 200ft-plus with a 2.25" diam. LL bat, I would suspect the bat has been altered.

80 or 90 lbs., no muscles, hitting the ball 200ft.-plus.

[Jake Patterson]

Rolling a bat is considered an alteration. Easton calls it an alteration and will deny warranty if bat is found to be rolled. It is just an unnatural way to "break in" a bat. The companies are trying to design bats that don't break in or loosen up so much that the BPF exceeds what they are initially rated for.

As for the rule number in the book I don't know. There is one for bat alterations.

This is why all youth leagues should go back to wood.... There is always some parent/coach willing to bend the rules to gain an advantage.

[tg643]

I've seen many end caps come off. I've seen the knobs break off. One year of high school I saw four Demarinis break (shattered) in the first month of the season. Metal bats manufacturers don't warranty bats when used under 60 degrees. DeMarinis are the only ones I've seen shatter. All four bats were returned in the summer.

[skipper5]

I've seen many end caps come off. I've seen the knobs break off. One year of high school I saw four Demarinis break (shattered) in the first month of the season. Metal bats manufacturers don't warranty bats when used under 60 degrees. DeMarinis are the only ones I've seen shatter. All four bats were returned in the summer.

I can only remember one end cap coming off--my own son's bat. Trust me, it wasn't altered. It was a very well broken in Easton Synergy composite BESR, back in 2009 when those bats flexed like crazy--and hit the ball like a rocket launcher--after they were broken in.

[skipper5]

Jake: This is why all youth leagues should go back to wood.... There is always some parent/coach willing to bend the rules to gain an advantage.

There are several pre-teen youth leagues in my county that switched to wood in the mid-2000s, and continue to do so--they haven't switched back.

But, when tournament time rolls around, it's back to non-wood, and the potential for rules-bending that you mention.

BTW, I believe if you polled all the 15-and-over players in the country--all skill levels-- they'd vote overwhelmingly that their league should hit with wood.
If I'm right, then it's ironic: the modern, consumerist, tech-addicted generation would rather use a no-tech hunk of wood than a flashy non-wood bat.

[Jake Patterson]

Jake: This is why all youth leagues should go back to wood.... There is always some parent/coach willing to bend the rules to gain an advantage.

There are several pre-teen youth leagues in my county that switched to wood in the mid-2000s, and continue to do so--they haven't switched back.

But, when tournament time rolls around, it's back to non-wood, and the potential for rules-bending that you mention.

We went back to wood in Legion some years ago... The game is much better!
I was never a metal fan...